Midas

Japanese: ミダス（英語表記）Midas

(1) The name or title of the ancient kings of Phrygia in central-western Anatolia (Asia Minor). Midas first appears in history around 700 BCE as the king who dedicated himself to kingship at the temple of Delphi. Later sources say that he married the daughter of Agamemnon, king of Cyme, a city in Aeolis in northwestern Asia Minor, and traded with distant peoples. Midas' name is also found on a rock carving in the upper reaches of the Sangarios River (now Sakarya). It is said that before 700 BCE, Assyrian forces fought against the forces of Mita, a Mushkian (the Assyrian name for the people of ancient Phrygia), in the region of Litaurus (now central-southern Turkey), probably the same King Midas. The last historical king, King Midas, is said to have committed suicide when his kingdom was destroyed by the Cimmerians shortly after 700 BCE. (2) A Phrygian king in Greek mythology. Silenus was arrested for being drunk and brought to his court, but he treated him well and sent him back to Dionysus. Dionysus was grateful to him and offered him one wish, which he asked to be granted, and asked to be given the power to turn everything he touched into gold. However, when he returned to the palace, he was troubled by the fact that even food and drink turned to gold when they touched him, so he prayed to Dionysus to remove this troublesome power from him. Later, when Marsyas and Apollo were competing in a musical contest, Midas protested the Muses' decision that Apollo was the winner, and insisted that Marsyas should win. This angered Apollo, who changed his ears into those of a donkey. He covered his ears with a crown and warned the barber, the only one who knew the secret, that he would be executed if he told anyone. However, the man could not bear to keep quiet and dug a hole in the ground into which he spilled the king's secret. Then, whenever a nearby reed swayed in the wind, it began to whisper, "King Midas has donkey ears," and Midas' secret became known throughout the kingdom.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

(1) アナトリア (小アジア) 中西部フリュギアの古代諸王の名もしくは称号。ミダスは前 700年頃デルフォイ神殿で王権を奉献する者として最初に歴史に登場する。のちの文献によれば小アジア北西部のアイオリスの都市キュメーの王アガメムノンの娘と結婚し，遠方の諸民族と交易した。サンガリオス (現サカリア) 川上流地方にある磨崖碑にもミダスの名がある。前 700年以前にアッシリアの軍勢がリタウロス地方 (現トルコ中南部) でムシュキ人 (古代フリュギア地方の民に対するアッシリア側からの呼称) のミタの軍勢と戦ったとあるが，おそらく同じミダス王であろう。史実最後のミダス王は，前 700年以後まもなくその王国がキンメリオイ人に滅ぼされたとき自害したとされている。 (2) ギリシア神話に登場するフリュギアの王。泥酔して捕えられ，彼の宮廷に連れて来られたシレノスを丁重にもてなし，ディオニュソスのもとへ送り返したことからディオニュソスに感謝され，なんでも1つだけ望みをかなえてもらえることになり，触れるものがすべて黄金に変る力を授けられることを願った。ところが宮殿に帰ってみると，飲食物まで彼の身体に触れるとたちまち黄金になってしまうので困り果て，ディオニュソスに祈ってこのやっかいな力を自分から取除いてもらったという。その後マルシュアスとアポロンが音楽のわざを競い合った場面に居合せたミダスは，アポロンを勝者とするミューズたちの判定に抗議し，マルシュアスの勝利を主張して譲らなかったため，アポロンの怒りを買い，耳をロバの耳に変えられてしまった。そこで彼は，冠で耳を隠し，ただ1人秘密を知る理髪師には，それを口外すれば死刑に処すると申渡したが，この男は黙っているのに耐えられなくなり，地面に穴を掘ってその中に王の秘密を漏した。すると付近に生えたあしが風に揺れるたびに「ミダス王の耳はロバの耳だ」とささやくようになったので，ミダスの秘密は国中に知れ渡ってしまったという。

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